Modest but festive opening for ramp next to Erasmus building

The ramp next to the Erasmus building has been in place for a while, but was officially opened on Thursday afternoon. The ramp is part of a larger plan to have accessibility across the campus in order by the end of 2028.

In a wheelchair with spokes in all the colours of the rainbow, newly graduated psychologist Luna Beek was the first to go up and down the ramp after the official opening. Just before that, Luna and vice-chair of the Executive Board Ellen van Schoten had cut a golden ribbon with a cheerful turquoise pair of scissors.

“There used to be a stairlift”, Luna says. “I regularly reported that it didn’t work.” Without it you could not enter the concrete-grey Erasmus building if you have difficulty walking or use a wheelchair, except by taking a long detour via the revolving doors opposite the entrance to the University Library. “The gradient of this ramp is really nice for me. Before I had a motor on my wheelchair I couldn’t get onto the Institutenlaan. Then I would go into the car park next to the Exam Centre and take the lift up there. I can also use this ramp without a motor.” Luna is not only pleased with the ramp, but also with the sense that all the reports that were filed have been heard.

Accessible campus

In 2018 Erasmus University signed the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. At the start of 2024 the university presented an action plan to improve accessibility across the campus. These must all be implemented by the end of 2028.

In recent years accessibility has often left something to be desired, according to students and staff. Parliamentary questions were even asked about the Langeveld building, which opened in 2022. Some complaints were: the extensive use of grey in the building made contrast too poor for visually impaired people, the doors to lifts and toilets were too heavy for many wheelchair users, and the acoustics in many lecture halls were ‘a disaster’ for people with hearing loss.

 “It may seem like a small change, but it stands for something bigger: an accessible campus for everyone”, Van Schoten said at the opening of the ramp. Besides this ramp the university has already made other adjustments. A winding path next to the Institutenlaan has been widened and made less steep, contrast has been added to glass walls and windows, and to the grey steps such as those next to the Pavilion.

Not new

The ramp is no longer brand new. Skateboarders have already discovered it: their scratches are visible on the handrail. That does not spoil the fun. “With the opening we want to make the ambition of an accessible campus visible once again”, Van Schoten said. “It seems like a small change”, she repeated, “but nothing could be further from the truth.” For example, the project had to be put out to tender and the design had to fit the monumental building. According to Van Schoten that is why it took so long. “It now fits so well into the architectural design that it looks as if it has always been there.”